Summarise Amsterdam in three words.

Tolerant – Amsterdam is a multicultural place and the locals seem to have a pretty relaxed attitude to most things, be it the customs of others, the waft of marijuana smoke from the coffeeshops, or legalised prostitution.

You really know you’re in Amsterdam when…

.. there are fresh flowers everywhere. The Netherlands is the world’s biggest exporter of cut flowers and the locals like to brighten up their lives too. Pretty much every cafe and bar has bud vases with tulips or gerberas on each table and it is common to see larger bouquets in museums or shops, not to mention poking out of the bags of ordinary shoppers (much like baguettes in France!).